The Avett Brothers’s Grammy-nominated album “The Carpenter” came out only last fall, but the band released its new full-length album, “Magpie and the Dandelion,” Tuesday. 

The album is the band’s eighth studio album and its third release working with producer Rick Rubin. In a letter written by the brother-fronted band and published in “Paste” magazine, the members said as they worked on 2012’s “The Carpenter,” they had so much energy and inspiration they wrote two records during that period, the second of which became “Magpie and the Dandelion.”

In the letter, the band members explain the title “Magpie and the Dandelion” represents the graceful and youthful sound of the collection of songs.

“If you think about a Magpie, it’s a bird from the crow family,” the band members said. “You can see them everywhere, and they’ve got this strange grace. And we all know what a dandelion is. It reminds you of being a kid and watching a flower come apart on a summer day. There’s a youthful wonder in that. Those kinds of feelings live and breathe inside this album.”

The Avett Brothers’s albums stay consistent, which is impressive considering the band’s large collection of 14 albums. Its folk-rock, Americana, grunge-grass fusion sound is alive and well in “Magpie and the Dandelion.” The album is lighthearted and flows smoothly with a perfect blend of slow ballads and upbeat banjo. Scott’s and Seth’s voices pair well across fast-paced songs, ballads and harmonies. The harmonica makes an appearance on the good-feeling bluegrass song “Open-Ended Life,” and “Good To You” is every bit the beautiful love ballad listeners have come to expect from Scott Avett. “The Clearness is Gone,” with its electric guitar riff, highlights the multi-faceted guitar talent Seth Avett brings to the mix. 

The band’s lyrics are transparent and honest. The album covers topics from loneliness and family in “Morning Song” and “Skin and Bones,” to personal love in songs like “Apart From Me.” Though the band works with a big-name producer, The Avett Brothers keep its folk essence. From their ballads to their more rocking songs, members of The Avett Brothers have the ability to play multiple styles well while staying true to their sound. Bobby Crawford can play any style on any instrument, and Joe Kwon is a stellar cellist. These two guys, though not Avetts, form the band’s backbone.

With Scott and Seth’s harmonies and the honesty of their lyrics, “Magpie and the Dandelion” is a solid, reliable addition to The Avett Brothers’s collection. It is a blend of its best bluegrass sound and rock sound. The band does not get old or repetitive, but “Magpie and the Dandelion” perfects its easygoing sound, although it does not have the raw honesty or complexity of the album “Emotionalism.”

Sadly, The Avett Brothers’s latest album does not feature one of their “Pretty Girl From” songs. Maybe The Avett Brothers’s next release will feature “Pretty Girl from Mississippi.”